The countdown is on

4 days until I have to go back to work and Lilliana starts day care, 2 days until my mom gets back to Charlotte from packing up the house in Michigan, 16 days until my parents move in to their new house here in Charlotte, and 37 days until we go to Michigan for Labor day weekend.

I can not believe it has already been almost 8 weeks since Lilliana was born. Time has flown by so fast. I never thought I would want to be a stay at home mom, but now I would give anything to be able to stay home with her and not go back to work on Monday. There are certainly days(like today) that are quite rough and taxing but in the end they are so worth it! I love every moment with her, even when she is screaming crying because she hates being in her car seat : ) lol



Darvy has been staying with us this week while my parents are in Michigan packing up their house for the move. He has a cross country camp for his new school that we have been taking him to everyday. It has been nice having him here and spending some quality time with him but I have learned that I am no where near ready to have a teenager in my house! lol Thank goodness we have some time before Lilliana is that age : )
It is so weird to think that right now my parents are packing up our house in Michigan. They owned that house for 22 years! I am really glad that I am not there with them, I would be a complete basket case trying to leave the house that I grew up in, was married at, and absolutely love!

As hard as it is to think about that no longer being our house, I am so excited that my family will be leaving just 15 minutes from us here in Charlotte. We can hardly wait to start spending our Sundays at my parents house(along with many other days I am sure!)

Lilliana is growing like a weed and becoming more and more active and alert everyday. She smiles all the time and loves to laugh and giggle with mommy.

She is getting so strong. She can hold her head up for a few seconds at a time, when I stand her up she presses down on her feet and hold her head pretty straight, she squirms all over her bed, and has quite the grip! Her hair is getting so long.
I bought some bows for her the other day and and now she has one in her hair all the time, they are adorable!


She absolutely loves spending time in her swing watching the mobile. She just stares at it with such content and lets out the occasional giggle, so precious!!

I spent yesterday cleaning out her closet and re-organizing it. Sadly, I had to put away all of her newborn clothing and she is now in 0-3 and 3 month clothing! It was so sad to put away her newborn clothing, partly because she has grown way too fast and partly because I know it will be a few years before I have a newborn again : (

I also got my hair cut yesterday! I have been growing my hair out for a long time and didn't really cut it at all during the pregnancy. I love having long hair but it is just not conducive to the 'new mom lifestyle'. I now understand why most moms have short hair : ) I am actually really glad I cut it though, it looks so good!


I joined wight watchers 2 1/2 weeks ago to get rid of all of the extra weight I gained while I was pregnant. I let myself go way too much during the pregnancy and I am desperate to get my old body back! I have already lost 4 1/2 pounds since I started! I also bought a JIllian Michaels work out dvd that I hope to start using soon(free time is a hard thing to come by these days!) So hopefully the weight will be off soon and I can start feeling like myself again!

On the road again

Lilliana and I are getting back on the road again : ) She is going to be a road tripper just like her mommy! This time we are headed to Atlanta to see my family, (aunts, uncles and cousins). Since this is only a 3 hour drive hopefully it will go smoother than our last road trip and she will just sleep the whole time!

I can't believe that she is already 6 weeks old and I have to go back to work in 2 weeks. I am so not ready for that!! It is going to be so hard to leave her and not be with her all day. I have a feeling I wont get a lot of work done that first day back, lol.

She has gotten so big and is definitely not a newborn anymore. She has started smiling at me, which is so incredibly adorable. I get so giddy and excited whenever she does it. She has also started mimicking my facial expressions..so cute.
She is so strong. She is already holding her head up and stand pretty well on her feet when i hold her up.
She becomes more and more alert with each passing day and loves to just lay on her back and stare at the world around her.

She has also discovered how to grab on to things and pull..unfortunately this has resulted in her grabbing her own hair and yanking so hard that she cries in pain and because she is gripping so hard it takes some force for me to un-clench her fist. It is so sad to see her hurting herself and she has no clue she is doing it. Poor girl.

I have a lot to do today and very little available nap times to do it in, so that is all for now.

Beach week

We have had an amazing time at the beach this past week and a half. We had lots of family come in from Georgia and spent some wonderful quality time with them.
Lilliana's godfather, Uncle Joey got to meet her for the first time. He was so cute with her. I can not wait for him and his wife Kelly to have kids! : )






We also had my Uncle Joe and Aunt Bev and my cousin Courtney and her friend Kathy stay with us.


My mom and were so great with Lilly and were so nice to offer to watch her so much so that I could enjoy the time at the beach as well. I got to actually go to the beach for about an hour, which was amazing! The other days we spent either sitting on the dock at our house sunbathing and watching the boats go by or just relaxing inside when it was too hot for Lilly to be outside.





We had a great 4th of July. Lilliana got to see her first "Easter 4th of July Parade" that my brothers in laws put together every year. It was very hot that day so we just watched from our porch instead of walking in the parade with everyone else.




That night, the Easters had their annual 4th of July party and we stopped by for a little bit to eat dinner and let some of our beach friends meet the baby. The music from the karaoke was a little too loud for Lilliana's ears so Nick and I spent the rest of the evening at home. We live across the street from the Easters so we still got to hear the karaoke from the house..the good and the bad. lol.


Nick went back to Charlotte on Monday evening because he had to work and Lilliana and I spent the week here with my family. My mom and I have spent most of the days just relaxing with the baby. We went to Wilmington on Wednesday and did a little shopping with the baby then met my dad and some of our friends at Dockside(a restaurant on the water) for some lunch.

Yesterday my sister in law, lauren took some pictures of Lilliana. They turned out great! I can't wait to see all of them.







Nick got here last night and now today we are having a 'date day'. : )
He is bring me home lunch from our favorite restaurant right now and after that we are heading out to Wilmington to see Eclipse(yeah!!) and get some new work clothes for me. I can not believe I have to go back to work in just 3 short weeks.
These past weeks have just flown by. I can not believe that Lilliana is 5 weeks old today! People aren't kidding when they say time really flies! She has gotten so big in the past week. I swear she has grown a couple inches in just a few days, lol.
We have her one month dr appointment this week, which means more shots : ( but also get to find out just how big she has gotten.

We are all heading back home to Charlotte tomorrow. It has been so nice being here at the beach with my family, but it is going to be great to be back home. I miss my comfy king size bed! We are sleeping on a full size here, not fun! haha

My yummy crab cake sandwich just arrived via my amazing husband so I am going to chow done and head out for our 'date day'!


Bye y'all : )

Beach Bums

This past week has been pretty good. Lilliana and I settled back in to our normal routine at home after we got back from the beach. On Saturday my Aunt Jeanne(dads sister) and Uncle John came to visit us. We had a really nice, relaxing evening with them and ordered in sushi(yum). My aunt bought me a coach diaper bag, which I am in love with!! And also a Coach key chain/picture holder, and Coach purse mirror..all matching the diaper bag.

Lilliana's Aunt Rachael(my best friend) sent her a bean bag chair with her name on it. She looks so cute on it!

And my dad's old boss, Dave Brandon, sent her a University of Michigan cheer leading outfit, teddy bear, pom pom, and shoes. (He is the athletic director at U of M).


She has been very fussy during the day but we are getting through it. I am definitely learning patience. But then again it is very easy to be patient with such a beautiful daughter!



Every day I fall more and more in love with her sweet face.
I can't believe she is 3 1/2 weeks old already. Although being pregnant seems like a distant memory, it is still hard to believe that she is 3 weeks old already. Time is going by way too fast!
Lilliana weighs over 9 pounds now and I am sure has grown a little taller as well. We go back to the pediatrician in 2 weeks so we will find out then how tall she is.

She is becoming more and more alert everyday and I love it! She has the most gorgeous big eyes, and I love staring in to them and just wondering what she is thinking : ) She is very observant of her surroundings. As much as I am wishing time would slow down and she would stop growing :) I am loving that she is becoming more alert and growing out of the newborn faze.

She recognizes me and my voice and I absolutely love that. It is such a great feeling to know that when she is upset and nothing seems to make her happy, that sometimes just being held by her mommy is all she needs! Being a mom is truly amazing!!!

Today Lilly and I made the drive to the beach. What would normally be a 4 hour drive took us almost 6 hours, lol. We had to stop for an hour and a half to eat, burp, cry, change a diaper, cry some more, and oh ya cry some more! haha. But we made it. It is so good to be here but we miss Nick VERY much already. He is coming down on Friday after work and will stay through Monday.


I am so excited for all of my family to get here in the next two days and to spend time with them. 4th of July has become one of my favorite holidays because it means family and good times at the beach.
We will be taking lots of pictures of Lilliana's first 4th of July on Topsail Island. She has some very cute outfits for the day, yes there is more than one, lol.

My sister in law Lauren, who took the pictures of me when I was pregnant has offered to take some pictures of Lilliana so hopefully we can get those done while I am here. I'm staying for 11 days, so I am sure we can find some time to do it.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July.

God Bless America!

Meeting new people

Life has been pretty great for us lately. Lilliana and I have gotten in to a pretty decent routine being home alone and we spend all day anxiously awaiting Nick's arrival home from work! We miss him very much while he is gone during the day at work and I know he misses us too. : )

Our little girl has met some new people in the past week. Her Aunt Carol and Uncle Ed came to visit over Fathers day weekend. We had a great time with them, and I am so happy they got to meet their niece and spend some quality time with her!

She also got to meet her Uncle Darvy and Aunt Gracie this past weekend. Darvy was over the moon for her and would kiss her every time he walked by her, so sweet! She is so lucky to have so many amazing aunts and uncles. What a blessing!







We spent Fathers day weekend at the beach with my family and Carol and Ed. It was a little chaotic trying to get settled in to a new environment with the baby, and I think she got a little over stimulated with all of the different people holding her. But overall it was a great trip. It was so nice to be back at the beach. We hadn't been there since Christmas.




This was Nick's first fathers day and he spent it cutting down a tree and fixing the boat with my Dad. And yes, this is what he wanted to do..his choice, lol. Since the men were busy doing guy stuff, my mom and I spend the afternoon sitting on the back porch enjoying the view while Lilliana napped in the house.


I can't wait to get back to the beach for 4th of July. Lilliana will get to meet her Uncle Joey for the furst time, and we will also get to spend time with Kelly, Aunt Bev, Uncle Joe and hopefully Courtney!
I am a little nervous about how Lilliana will handle all of the chaos and new environment again, but I know we will make it through it.

My little angel is about to wake up for some food, so back to mommy mode I go.

One week old

Our little Lilliana turned one week old on sdaturday! I can hardly beleive it has already been a week. Before I know it, I am going to be going back to work. So I am soaking up every minute with our beautiful girl.
This past week at home has been eventful to say the least. We have had our share of ups and downs, but it is all worth it when I look in to her eyes.


Kelly(my cousin in law and Lilliana's godmother) and her friend Vickie came to visit on friday. We just spent the night relaxing and staring at Lilliana.


They left on Saturday afternoon and Nick and I spent the rest fo the day relaxing. That was our first time being alone as a family at home without any visitors. After we all took an afternoon nap we took our first family trip to Target. It was a very quick trip, but it was very successful!





Sunday was our one year wedding anniversary!!! Nick spent the whole day taking care of me, not letting me lift a finger. He made breakfast, lunch, and dinner, cleaned the apartment, and let me take a very long shower and have some quiet time away from the baby. It was a perfect day. Especially since we spent it as a new family of 3!!




I can't believe it has been a year already.
We have come so far since our wedding, and our relationship has grown so much stronger. I didn't think it was possible, but I love him so much more now than on our wedding day. This past year has been absolutely amazing and brought so many changes(all good). I am eagerly looking forward to many many more years with my wonderful husband!!


Today is my first day all alone with Lilliana since Nick is back at work. I was very nervous all day yesterday thinking about it, knwoing I have absolutely no help and no one close by to come over if I need them. I know I will be able to handle it, but it is still a little nerve wrecking. Last night was kind of rough, neither Lilliana or I got much sleep, but thankfully she is sound asleep right now in her swing. So on that note, I am going to wrap this up and go take a nap myself.

She is here!!!!

That's right, our beautiful daughter made her debut on June 5 at 9:09 am. She was 8 lbs and 20 inches of pure joy.



I was set to be induced on friday morning, the 4th. But when I called the hospital to confrim that I was coming in, they told me they were too busy and I would have to reschedule my induction. Needless to say I was quite upset. I was already up and showered and ready to meet our daughter. I was so bummed, but very determined to have her anyways. Sop i decided we would just spend all day walking around our neighborhood in the hopes that I would go in to labor naturally.
My Aunt Bev and cousin Kelly drove in to be here for the birth, and brought a great surprise with them..my cousin Courtney! When they pulled up and I saw her I was so happy. Them being here anticipating the birth just made me even more determined. I wanted to amke sure they were here when Lilliana came in to the world. Espcially since Kelly is her god mother.
So we spent the whole day walking, doing a little shopping, and just spending quality family time together. We spent the evening at home with my parents, brother James, and aunt and cousins. I have never laughed so hard or so much in my life. We had a great time!

When I went to bed around 11 I had a feeling I would be going in to labor by the next day. I was a little off...after about 10 minutes in bed my water broke and I started haivng contractions. I let the contractions get regualr for about an hour then woke nick up and called the dr. We were obviously told to go straight to the hospital!

Once we got there I was 3cm dialated and immediately sent to our room and hooked up to monitors. Labor had begun!!! The whole labor went pretty fast. Within a few hours of getting my epduaral and starting the pitocin I was ready start pushing. I ended up pushing for about 45 minutes and she was born at 9:09 am. I instantly started crying the momnent I saw her face. It is truly amazing how much you can love someone you have never met. Giving birth was the most amazing, rewarding, and slef enriching experiece. I came up with strength I never knew I had in me. Anyone who knows me knows that my pain tolerance is very low and I can be quite a baby, lol. But somehow God gave me the strngth to make it through and my mom and Nick were quite impressed with how strong I was.





We came home on Monday monring, which was the best feeling ever to have our whole family at home together. The first 24 hours were a little rough, just trying to get her on a schedule and we had some feeding and gas issues with her. We went and saw her pediatrician on Tuesday morning though adn she got a clean bill of helath, besides a bit of jaundice.



Last night went great. We slept together in our room as a family. It was such a great feeling to wake up in the morning all together as a family. She ended up sleeping for over 5 hours straght adn woke up so peacefully. She then spent over an hour in her swing just looking around and observing her new world.


She also got her first bath today(at home) and did not enjoy it too much. We have discovered she does not like being naked at all! But she absolutely loved having her hair washed(I see salon days in our future, lol).



Nick and I are absolutely loving being parents. It is so rewarding and peaceful. We find ourselves just staring at her and oohing and awing at every little movement she makes. She is such a blessing and a miracle from God. We could not be happier and are so blessed to have her in our lives.




That is all for now, baby is sound asleep in Gigi's arms(my mom) so I am going to take advantage and get my shower!!